Fired Ohio State band director finds job at Heidelberg University

Associated Press

TIFFIN, Ohio

A former marching-and director fired from Ohio State University after an investigation into what the school said was a sexualized culture within the band has been hired by a small university.

Heidelberg University hired Jonathan Waters as its band director and a music-education professor Monday. Waters will start at the private university in Tiffin on July 1. His salary terms weren’t disclosed.

Heidelberg is about two hours north of Columbus and has about 1,000 undergraduate and 300 graduate students.

Ohio State terminated Waters in July 2014 after an internal investigation alleged that he ignored a sexualized culture that included sexual harassment, sexually explicit nicknames and hazing within the band.

At the time, Waters’ halftime shows were considered revolutionary.

Waters has filed lawsuits in U.S. District Court and the Ohio Court of Claims, claiming gender discrimination and defamation.

He’s seeking damages of more than $1 million and to be reinstated as Ohio State’s marching band director.